10? Proceedings of the Boyal Irish Academy. 



the peninsula, and are called the Little- and the Big-Doon. Baptist Bbazio's 

 map, about 1590. gives "Donbrow" and "Donemano" (Donemore) in cor- 

 responding positions, while Speed, in 1610, gives " Downemore Head " there, 

 so they probably retained their Irish names at that time, Downemore being 

 clearly '"Big Doom" Bingvilly, near them, bore the interesting name of 

 Bynmoibile in 1-315, when Philip de Barry of Byncorran went to law with 

 Jobn fitzThonias for having without license ventured " to waste, sell, or 

 destroy bis houses, lands, woods, and gardens"; 1 evidently the woods 

 included a Bill or venerated tree. The lands of Kinure were confirmed to 

 Smithin "Walton under the Act of .Settlement in 1666.* 



The " Little Doon " is formed by two narrow gullies with parallel sides, 

 and very deep, only divided by a natural wall, coming up to a literal knife- 

 blade of rock 18 inches wide in parts, never more than a few feet wide, and 

 50 feet high The main neck is about 15 feet wide, and overlooks the interior. 

 The fort was fenced along the edge of the cleft, but little remains. There 

 is a clear foundation of a house just inside to the right (west) of the entrance, 

 and what is possibly another foundation to the left. 3 



The "■ Big Doon " is even less interesting, though closely similar ; I only 

 saw it at some distance though with a strong glass. There seems to be a 

 slight mound or wall-foundation across the neck The sloping platform is 

 oblong ; and off its point is a rock-stack named Bulla un Bock, recalling the 

 name BuUaunaleama opposite the isolated cliff-fort at Cuchullin's Leap at the 

 mouth of the Shannon. 



5TLES. 



I now have only to describe the structures where the forts have been 

 overlaid (so to speak) and superseded by late medieval castles. Three of 

 these are of considerable historic interest — Dunalong, Dundeady, and 

 Olderness on the Old Head of Kinsale. 



Dohalokg, Ixishebkdt (0. S. 153;. We have examined already two 

 promontory forts, though of but little general interest on this island. The 

 third, as its name implies, and a straight rock-cut fosse suggests, was probably 

 a fortified dun before the O hEderscoill family made it one of their chief 

 strongholds. It a rinds on a low headland with precipitous sides facing the 



er castle of Dunashead in Baltimore. The marking of the latter port on 

 foreign maps from about 1450 down agrees with the records showing the 

 importance to which the place attained at least in the wine trade. 4 



1 Plea Roll No. 112. an. ii Edw. II, mem. 9 f, 

 5 Roll, rTiii Car. II, Ko. 21. J Plan, Plate X. 



- x Proc. R. I. Acad, m, p. 418, beltario. 1450 : balontum, 1500 : boltamor, 1544. 



